Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Tatatata.

The cart ran through the area without a break.

The disciples of Mount Hua pulled the cart like untiring horses. The cart’s speed was much faster compared to their trip to Sichuan despite the entire thing being loaded with much more luggage.

“Ughh!”

“UHHH!”

Jo Gul and Yoon Jong pulled the cart in the lead, shouting as if they were competing with each other.

“Will you be able to cultivate by dragging that thing?”

“Sahyung’s legs seem to be shaking already?”

The two of them gritted their teeth and glared at each other. Baek Cheon frowned and looked at the two, who were leading like angry bulls.

“Kids.”

“Yes, sasuk!”

“Yes.”

“It is nice that you are full of energy, but if you end up getting exhausted right from the start, you will collapse before getting close to the North Sea.”

Yoon Jong tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

In Sichuan, Baek Cheon had told them to work hard and rest quickly. Actually, this was also something he was going through as well, and it suited his personality a lot more to avoid it for later. Then why did he change his stance?

“Is the North Sea that far?”

“It is far.”

“How far?”

“Hmm. It is…”

Baek Cheon thought hard and said,

“According to Merchant Hwang, it is around 2400 km.”

“… Uh?”

Yoon Jong cleaned his ear with his finger.

“How far? I think I misheard it.”

“2400 km.”

“…”

Yoon Jong’s eyes widened.

“Wasn’t it just a little over 400 km to Sichuan”

“Yes.”

“Then how is it 2400?”

“It is just like that.”

At that moment, Chung Myung, who was lying on the cart, raised his upper body.

“How far?”

“… are all of you deaf? It is 2400 km.”

Chung Myung’s eyes shook.

“That is insane! It wouldn’t be that far even if I traveled all around the Central Plains! I should have taken a lot more money from him!”

Hae Yeon, who was riding next to him, shouted in fear.

“D-disciple! No matter how you feel, he is the Abbot of…”

“What!”

Chung Myung kicked Hae Yeon.

“Ack!”

Hae Yeon fell from atop the luggage on the cart and landed on the ground.

“This brat doesn’t even pull the cart, only sits down and moves around, and then somehow decides to talk about things! I am going to pull out all the hair on your head.”

“… there is nothing there. How can you even pull it…”

Hae Yeon’s eyes were wet.

‘Where is Buddha?’

At this rate, he was about to be killed before finding out the truth about the world. Baek Cheon asked Chung Myung with a little surprise.

“You also didn’t know where the North Sea was?”

“I wasn’t born there, so what is the point of knowing it?”

Chung Myung gritted his teeth.

During the war with the Demonic Sect in the past, Chung Myung used to walk around the entire Central Plains as if it was his home, but he never went outside of it.

“The North Sea Ice Palace, I thought it would be at Yunnan at best because they said north. Why are they calling it the Central Plains when it’s a place I’ve never heard of that is 2000 km from here!”

“… which is why it is a new place.”

“Ughhh.”

Chung Myung scratched his head.

“If it is 2400 km, then how long do we have to travel?”

“If we run like this all day, we would cover 78 km a day… so it would take a full month?”

“… one month?”

Chung Myung looked lost.

“Every day, we are losing time, but do we have to spend a month like this?”

“Chung Myung, calm down….”

“No! What are these idiot demonic bastards doing going all the way there and making a mess! They should just die in the Ten Thousand Mountains!”

Baek Cheon looked at the struggling Chung Myung and asked.

“Does anyone know if they sell sweets here?”

“…are there any?”

There was no way.

Baek Cheon sighed.

They were just starting out, and the journey already felt burdensome since Chung Myung was already losing it.

“I knew those demonic bastards should be killed!”

Chung Myung’s eyes were filled with venom. Baek Cheon, who was quietly pulling the cart, then pointed to Jo Gul.

“Put the monk back on.”

“Yes.”

Hae Yeon was loaded back up, and they started again, but the speed was slower. Yoon Jong glared at Baek Cheon and then asked,

“But, sasuk?”

“Yes?”

“Speaking of this, what kind of place is the Demonic Sect?”

“Ugh.”

Baek Cheon scratched his head.

“Actually, I’ve heard stories about them, but it has been vague… things like their strength, it being a place where evil-minded people gathered to drink blood, indiscriminate murder, things like that.”

“Hmm, right.”

“But now that we are in a situation where we might encounter them, I think we need to know more about it.”

Baek Cheon frowned.

“Come to think of it, I don’t know much about them either.”

“Uh?”

“It is definitely odd. The story of the Demonic Sect has spread so much that everyone knows of them, but no one has heard about what or who they are.”

Baek Cheon looked at Hae Yeon, who was atop the pile of luggage.

“Do you know anything about the Demonic Sect, monk Hae Yeon? You are someone from Shaolin.”

“… why are you being so respectful?”

“Excuse me.”

Hae Yeon looked at the sky and sighed as he said,

“I am sorry, but this monk doesn’t know much about them.”

“The monk too?”

“When I was training in Shaolin, I didn’t pay much attention to the outside world….”

He was ashamed of this as his face reddened.

He realized once more just how much of a frog in a well he was when he lived in Shaolin. He could see and feel so many things by stepping away from there.

But…

Why did he feel that he was happy in that well?

“It is strange. Why are there so few people who know of them?”

Chung Myung, who was listening to this, replied nonchalantly.

“Because there is no need to learn about it.”

“Uh?”

The disciples of Mount Hua looked back at Chung Myung.

“Why would there be a need to know? Knowing the enemy and not knowing the enemy only means losing once.”

“…huh.”

Chung Myung smiled.

“The Demonic Sect is a group consisting of seventeen leaders.”

“Uh?”

As he told them about the Demonic Sect, the disciples looked at him in surprise. They didn’t think that Chung Myung would know this.

“No, seventeen? How are there so many?”

“Well, it used to be like that. I don’t know what it is now.”

Chung Myung had killed most of them.

“How do you know that? Other people weren’t aware of this.”

“…if others don’t know about it, then I shouldn’t know either?”

“I thought you wouldn’t know.”

“Seriously!”

Chung Myung rolled his eyes.

“What are you even doing with your eyes and ears open? Why should it be unknown?! You have no intention of knowing. That’s why you don’t know.”

“… well, that is a bit too…”

“Kuaaak!”

As Chung Myung moved as if he was shuddering in anger, Hae Yeon pressed down on his shoulders. Chung Myung, who was still annoyed, let out a deep sigh and continued his explanation.

“The Demonic Sect is basically a cult-like group. If you look at their roots, it isn’t that different from how Shaolin is based on Buddhism.”

Hae Yeon’s grip on Chung Myung’s shoulder became strong, and the latter decided to cover the monk’s mouth before he could say anything.

“Listen and speak! You bastards are getting more impatient with each passing day.”

“…. The other disciples, if they say it, I can understand, but how can you accuse me of being short-tempered. Where did you even throw your conscience?”

“I threw it into your Shaolin temple. Why?”

“… Ughh!”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

“Anyway, in that sense, there isn’t much difference between the Shaolin and Mount Hua. First of all, even Mount Hua worships Taoism.”

“Yes.”

Baek Cheon had stopped the cart and nodded, but the other disciples could not accept it.

“No matter what, does comparing Mount Hua to the Demonic Cult make sense?”

“Fundamentals, it is about fundamentals.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

“Look, if you want to know the enemy, then do it right. Why are you changing your words now? Small things like similarities shouldn’t bother you.”

“… No. t-that is….”

“Shut up!”

Jo Gul, who had something to say, went silent. When Chung Myung showed an unhappy face, Baek Cheon smiled.

“Continue.”

“Hmm.”

Chung Myung scratched his head and said,

“Just because the fundamentals are similar, it doesn’t mean that the end would be the same. There is a difference between them and the others.”

“What?”

“The people following it.”

At Chung Myung’s words, Jo Gul tilted his head.

“The people following? Like the kinds of people?”

“No, it’s more so their god.”

As Chung Myung spoke, his face twisted in annoyance.

“The Demonic Sect believes that their Heavenly Demon is their god.”

“… They believe that a human is a god? A living human?”

“Right. That is what they think.”

Chung Myung patted Hae Yeon’s shiny head and continued.

“Whether in Taoism or Buddhism, we don’t worship people. Although we revere people who have attained enlightenment and think of them as close to divine, the Demonic Sect is a different case. Well, sometimes people say that they are the reincarnation of Buddha or such things, but most don’t believe it.”

“Right.”

“But the Demonic Sect believes in their Heavenly Demon.”

Chung Myung lowered his voice.

“You asked earlier why the information about them didn’t spread around?”

“Yes.”

“Because all that? It makes no sense. Religious chants and writings are for those who cannot see the god they worship to ensure they do not forget their teachings and words. But what if there is a god in front of them?”

“There would be no need to write things down.”

“Right.”

Chung Myung narrowed his eyes.

“What would happen if a person who insisted that we shouldn’t kill people until yesterday then changed their tune and said that killing people is no longer a crime from this morning?”

“… it would be confusing?”

“That is the normal reaction, but the Demonic Sect doesn’t work like that. For them, it is the word of god. Just something to follow.”

“…”

“The Demonic Sect considers their Heavenly Demon as their god. The Heavenly Demon is also a human being. Yet, every single word he speaks is turned into a divine revelation. Without doubt, without thought, it would be followed.”

“… how could a person do that?”

Chung Myung smiled.

“That is why the Demonic Sect is scary to talk about. People who could act like that have gathered in large numbers.”

“…”

“There is nothing more terrifying than a person who does not doubt or fear death. Courage is unnecessary for those who consider death an honor in worship to their god.”

Baek Cheon hardened his face. Hearing this, he understood just how deviant the Demonic Sect was.

Fanatics who did not fear death simply because of their god’s command?

Just the thought gave him chills.

“… In other words…”

“Hmm?”

“I guess it is a place like that where extreme changes can happen depending on how the Heavenly Demon feels.”

“Yes, yes. But… actually, it has almost always stayed the same.”

“Why?”

“Because no Heavenly Demon had ever been sane.”

“…”

Yoon Jong raised his hand, and Chung Myung looked over.

“Yes, yes, speak.”

“From what you just said, the Demonic Sect serves the one called Heavenly Demon as their living and breathing god, but there is no Heavenly Demon now. Then how is it still running?”

“They are waiting.”

“… waiting?”

Chung Myung nodded.

“Until a new Heavenly Demon appears. To them, the Heavenly Demon is both a god and human. He is their god because he is the strongest and a human since he can die. And even if he dies, again….”

Chung Myung closed his lips and looked to the south as he said.

The South.

Where the Ten Thousand Mountains were.

“I believe they will return. A new Heavenly Demon will be reborn.”

“… it does make a little sense.”

Chung Myung turned to Yoon Jong and mumbled.

“You didn’t understand it at all.”

“Huh?”

“There is just one thing you should realize from this.”

Noticing that Chung Myung’s voice was lower than usual, everyone waited.

“What is it?”

“You asked earlier, right? How can a human worship another human as god and not doubt them?”

“… I did.”

“The Heavenly Demon is the one who makes it possible.”

“…”

“What is a god? They’re beings capable of doing things that humans cannot. In other words, even if you have a human body, if you dare to show abilities that a human cannot do, then you are a god.”

Yoon Jong went silent.

“Everyone believes in the Heavenly Demon because everyone has no reason not to. Even though they should have a reason, they don’t have the slightest doubt, and it makes them fanatical. An existence that makes the person look like a miracle beyond humanity. That is the Heavenly Demon.”

Chung Myung gritted his teeth.

He never thought of himself as a being abandoned by the heavens.

Chung Myung had been adorned with the title of one of the Three Greatest Swordsman in the World and the Best Swordsman in Mount Hua. Yet, if the Heavenly Demon had made up his mind and decided to act, Chung Myung would have been nothing.

And…

‘He was on a different level.’

The Heavenly Demon was so strong that he was untouchable. His head could only be cut after his strength had been exhausted through the sacrifice of all of Murim.

It wasn’t until he met with the Heavenly Demon in person that he realized why the demons under him were so messed up.

Even those who learned martial arts would consider him a miracle worker instead of a martial artist.

“… so, does Heavenly Demon exist in this world?”

“I don’t know.”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“We are going to find out about it now.”

“…”

The faces of Mount Hua’s disciples went stiff.

It was only then did they fully understand that this was not just a simple trip to observe the North Sea Ice Palace.

“But can we recognize it?”

“Huh?”

“How?”

“I am an expert on such things.”

Chung Myung shrugged.

“Whether fanatic or madman, when it comes to people, you just beat them until near-death, wake them back up, beat them again and again and again. Most would end up talking.”

“…”

At those confident words, Baek Cheon had to smile.

You are scarier than that Heavenly Demon, you bastard!

“Anyway.”

Chung Myung looked to the north.

“We need to confirm it. Did the Heavenly Demon really come back?”

His eyes were dark, unlike his usual self.